The Youth Vote

Who is the youth voter? The common description of this key demographic ranges from the age of 18 to 29 years of age.  46 million eligible voters fit these criteria for the 2012 election, a 17 million person rise since the 2008 presidential election, and 21% of the voter population.  Approximately 66% have college level experience, up 4% since 2008. Youth voters are mostly made up of 61% white- non Hispanic, 16.7% Latino, and 14.3% African American. Currently 19% are married, and 21% have children. This is the general makeup of the American Youth Voter.

With all the events in recent years, such as the recession, there is a concern that the Youth Vote may not be as strong for Obama as it was his first election bid.  This could be a problem for Obama as the youth vote may be responsible for winning or losing in the swing states. After his first term, Liberal voters are disappointed by things like lacking employment prospects, the ongoing wars, and no single payer health care plan.  The young college students are primarily concerned about raising tuition and loan rates as well as future employment.

How are they going to vote this Election Day? College students have been supportive of same sex marriage, so it’s safe to say that Question 6 will pass for this group. Question 4, a part of the DREAM Act, would give undocumented residents in-state tuition rates. This issue may go either way since some college students are already concerned about tuition hikes, but 19% of young voters have a parent born outside of the U.S. and 5% are born outside the U.S. themselves. As far as Obama v. Romney, there seems to be a toss-up for the youth voters’ outcome.